"They wanted me to retire on Monday" - Mack Brown blasts North Carolina with his latest revelation on getting snubbed

North Carolina Tar Heels coach Mack Brown lost his last game in charge of the Tar Heels on Saturday after he was fired by UNC earlier in the week. The Tar Heels lost 35-30 to the NC State Wolfpack in the season-ending Week 14 clash to close out the Brown era with a 6-6 record.

During his postgame news conference, the fired coach was livid with the UNC administration over how they tried to force him out of his position twice before the game against the Wolfpack.

“All I wanted to do was wait until the end of the year,” Brown said. “And they wanted me to retire on Monday, before the NC State game. We haven’t beaten State, it was really important for these kids to play well and have a chance to win. I didn’t want to break their hearts on Monday. So I said, ‘No, I won’t do that.’ And then they wanted me to do it on Friday. Well I sure wasn’t going to do it Friday before the game.”

Mack Brown further named the individuals who tried to force him to retire during the week.

“As far as the he-said, she-said and the, what you’d call the ‘source close to the University,’ for a few of ya, I don’t need any of that,” Brown said. “There were three people that talked about this. And it was me and John Cryer, chairman of the Board of Trustees, and athletics director (Bubba) Cunningham. I never talked to the chancellor, didn’t have one conversation with him.”

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Mack Brown reveals why he refused to retire

During his NC State postgame news conference, Mack Brown revealed why he declined to leave the job early despite offering to resign after the James Madison Dukes blew out his team 70-50 in Week 6.

“I agree with the administration that we need a change of leadership at the top,” Brown said. “I just wanted it to happen after the season was over. These poor kids have had so much turmoil in their lives and I think the administration’s into finding a football coach, and I’m into saving lives and making sure that they’re healthy, making sure that they’re mentally healthy.

“And then especially with a sick, young guy. So, you’ve got a four-game losing streak and then you lose one of your best friends that you’ve watched die, at 23 years old. So, I wasn’t thinking about me. I wasn’t thinking about my future. I was thinking about what’s best for these young people."

According to On3, the North Carolina Tar Heels have started their coaching search by contacting the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator Arthur Smith to replace the departed Mack Brown.